Zika Virus : What Community Health Nurses Need Essay

Community health nurses face many concerns that can create environmental and global health issues. In history, humans have battled many health epidemics, from as early as the black plague, to polio, and more recent issues of measles, small pox, and HIV/AIDS. Many vaccines have been created and billions of lives have been saved, but there is still many unimmunized. Communities worldwide are at risk for many communicable diseases and should be prepared and knowledgeable about their community’s risks, protocols, and how to keep their community members safe.

Zika virus was discovered by scientists in the Zika rainforest in a remote part of Uganda in 1947, in the serum of an infected rheseus monkey. With five thousand two hundred thirty- four known cases of the infectious virus documented in the United States. There is currently no vaccination for the flu like virus. The chief concern of the healthcare administration is to continue to take preventive measures to prevent contracting the virus. Within the same flavivirus family

Researchers have built up a nonhuman primate model of Zika infection disease to better comprehend its course in people, particularly in pregnant ladies. David O'Connor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and partners infused eight rhesus macaques—two of them pregnant—with the Asian strain of the infection as of now flowing in South and Central America. The non-pregnant and pregnant monkeys were still contaminated 21 days and up to 57 days after the fact, individually, and all creatures were resistant to reinfection 10 weeks post-infusion, the scientists reported today (June 28) in Nature Communications. Before distribution, the group was posting its information online continuously.

As of now, there is no official vaccine for Zika. Instead, a patient that has the contagion must undergo certain treatments. Fortunately, the remedies for the virus are simple and cheap. If infection occurs, it is vital to get an abundance of rest and liquids; medication is also advised to assist in alleviating pain. The treatments for Zika are straightforward because the disease itself is rather mild. In fact, in most reported cases of the virus in the United States, the illness only lasted approximately two to seven days prior to the first set of symptoms (“World Health Organization”). It is evident that the fear associated with the Zika Virus is slightly exaggerated. Currently, there is only one recorded fatality in the United States that is directly related to Zika (“The Washington Post”). This is mainly because first world countries’ medical programs are advanced enough to effectively treat the virus. The standard of living in these countries are also higher compared to third world countries. That is why Zika has claimed a significant amount of lives worldwide; the poor conditions in these countries make it difficult for infected individuals to get proper

How is the Zika virus affecting pregnant women in the United States? A report published Tuesday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, provided evidence of the risk of birth defects increasing when women are infected in the first trimester. The hypothesis of the report indicated that one in 10 pregnant women with Zika virus in U.S. have babies with birth defects and that there was at least one pregnant woman with a suspected Zika virus infection in every state of the United States. The USZPR includes data of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. This study was in response to the recent outbreak of Zika virus cases worldwide and the concerns of birth defects linked to this virus. Babies infected with the Zika virus are born with small heads, known as microcephaly, a

“This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak. It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly”( Tom Frieden). Microcephaly is an abnormal smallness of the head, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development. With the Olympics being held in Brazil, there is much cause to attention the potential disease being brought back to the U.S. by female athletes bringing an epidemic to carry havoc on the citizens of the United States. It can be spread very easily through mosquito bites of the yellow fever mosquito. From the mosquitoes, the virus does not cause many symptoms to its victims generating unknown awareness of the virus. “ Only one in five people who become infected with Zika virus will feel sick. Symptoms of Zika virus infection include fever, rash, pink eye, pains in joints, pain behind the eyes, headache, and muscle pains”( Levison, Matthew). The symptoms, if any, last 4-7 days in most cases. The Zika Virus is an easily spread disease with few symptoms.

This article focuses on the outbreak of the Zika virus, which has recently begun spreading across the world with an emphasis on Latin American countries Brazil and Colombia. There are currently over 26,000 people who have been confirmed as infected with the virus in Colombia alone and this number is expected to rise dramatically to about 600,000 within the coming months considering the location and altitude of the countries and the frequency of their carrier mosquito. The virus has no vaccine yet; all prevention methods are focused on controlling the mosquitos spreading the disease by promoting proper sanitation regarding dirty water storage and accumulated trash. Among the people infected is 16-year-old Angie Paola Castro, one of 3,177 women

In the recent article, “Zika outbreak: What you need to know” by the BBC, the World Health Organization released valuable information regarding how to detect the disease, and what steps you can take to prevent it. Some of the common symptoms of Zika are; mild fever, red and sore eyes, headaches, joint pain, and rashes. Death from Zika is rare, but a very uncommon disorder can be caused by Zika called Guillain-Barré syndrome. This disorder will cause temporary paralysis. As of now, there are no drugs or vaccines that will help prevent Zika, but those who have the disease should rest and drink plenty of water. The largest concern regarding Zika is the impact it has on fetuses still developing in the womb. Zika can cause another serious disorder

The roal of public health nursing is to promote and protect the health of the population. This proactive approach does not limit their scope of practice to health concerns of individuals but also to developing and implementing programs and policies that help enhance the health of populations. The role of public health nurses is to focus on population centered care with the outcome of promoting health, preventing disability and disease, and improving the quality of life. An effective public health nurse is able to evaluate assessment data to define population diagnoses and set priorities accordingly. They can also serve as advocates for individuals and families in the population to develop policies, access resources, and protect their

Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2015). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier.

The Zika virus’s northwards travel from South America has been a trending topic and, often, the reports raise as many questions as they answer. With a history of enabling peace of mind through pandemic consulting, Iridia Medical wants to clear up any misconceptions and rumours by sharing concise and accurate information about this virus.

Zika Virus is a disease a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in the monkeys through a network that monitored yellow fever. It was later noticed in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. There has also been other recording of the Zika Virus in Africa, the United States, Asia and the Pacific. From the 1960 's to the 1980 's, human infections were only found in Asia and Africa until here recently and now there are reporting’s of the Zika Virus in the United States. As of October , 2016 there are 105 locally acquired cases in the United

The history of the Zika Virus went all the way back to 1947 in Africa. Zika is a virus transmitted by an Aedes mosquito; which also . Now, the Lugandian word ‘zika’ is defined as overgrown. It all started when these scientist who initially were researching yellow fever by putting a pyrexial rhesus monkey in a cage , and isolated it in the Zika Forest. As the monkey was in the forest, it later progressed in a fever. The scientist who were conducting the research, stated that this is the Zika Virus, in 1952. The illness got it name from the place of isolation; in the Zika Forest. They claimed that the infection was found very rare in Africa and South America at the time, most of the causes

Similar to HIV, the Zika virus was first discovered in marsupials in 1947. The virus originated from the Zika forest, specifically being carried by members within the population of rhesus monkeys. Just a year later the virus was also detected in the mosquito Aedes africanus. Mosquitoes are the main culprit in spreading zika, however it has been reported that Zika can pass between organisms through sexual transmission. Blood tests have found antibodies that protect humans from the virus in people from India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. These antibodies show evidence of just how far the zika virus has traveled and how it has evolved over time.

Although the Zika virus was discovered in 1947, in the past three years it has become an epidemic. The virus has caused illness to 65 countries, and is causing birth defects in newborn babies. It has become an outbreak and has spread all over Middle and South America. Not only does it cause problems in the present, but it brings major concerns for the future. Scientists believe that over time it will come and go, but that doesn’t mean all of the problems that come with it will be gone. The biggest issues is how it risks pregnant women and their unborn children.